The Face of Newark Abroad

Posts tagged ‘new jersey’

I took a little trip to Florida and couldn’t leave without going to the beach. We arrived at the beach and were surprised to see a festival going on. Of course we headed for a cool frozen drink first and then for food. We ate fried junk food that was mediocre at best. I saw the booth for Bayou Billy’s Sweet Dixie Tea. I liked the souvenir mugs and their amusing promotional song: {“Put some south in your mouth.”} The best part of the deal is free refills for life as long as you bring your mug with you! They’re only in the south and Michigan. I’ll have to talk them into coming to New Jersey.

Though the water was cold, the sun was nice and I had a great time at the beach! I can’t wait to go back later this year.

This year was the 6th year I have celebrated a birthday outside of the USA. My readers know that I’ve spent my last 3 birthdays in Paris, France. This year I had the opportunity to go there again but decided I should give Paris a rest go back to one of my new favorite places: Morocco.

I first visited Morocco a year and a half earlier to attend my friend’s wedding there. She is American and married a Moroccan. I really enjoyed my time there and said I wanted to get back. I mulled it over in my mind for some time but didn’t actually make any arrangements until the week before I left.

I booked my flight and paid the deposit to stay at the hostel that my friend owns. I arrived at the airport in Marrakech and she had a car waiting for me. After a brief ride we arrived at Mama Marrakech. I spent the afternoon walking around, grabbed some lunch and then had dinner catching up with my friends. That evening I booked a trip to the Sahara desert right at the hostel. The “concierge” made a quick call on his cell phone and I was told to be up early as I would be picked up for my excursion between 7:00 and 7:30 AM. They also mentioned that breakfast would be served before we left. SCORE!

That Friday we left bright and early for the desert. After hours of sightseeing along winding roads and driving toward the Sahara desert, we finally arrived to a group of camels. There was no ceremony. We mounted the camels and took off into the desert. At first I was holding on for dear life but by the end of the ride I was taking pictures of my new friends and even snapping selfies!

The next day (my birthday) I rose early to watch the sun rise. I was so relaxed. I was a little sore from hours of camel riding but I felt incredible. The desert does something to you. It’s hard to explain so I recommend everyone to head to Morocco. This birthday definitely topped ALL the others. I had to out-do Paris. Mission accomplished. It will be hard to top this next year.

My roommate from college has a family beach home at the real jersey shore on Long Beach Island. I was first invited there about 5 years ago. It was during the summer and the island was packed full of people. Everyone was so friendly and nice. and dressed in tank tops and shorts. For the evening, it was a tank top with a hooded sweatshirt on top, and shorts.

My latest invitation to LBI was for Chowderfest 2013. My friend even offered to pick me up in Newark on her way down south. I was so excited to go back to the island. After our road trip we went straight to Kubel’s Too for dinner. We ordered a crab cheese dip for starters and I had the chicken sandwich with cheese and mushrooms. The food was delicious. We did a little more catching up and then fell in and out of sleep pretending to watch a movie in the living room.

The following morning we got up really early to beat the crowd at Marvel’s for donuts. They have a really old-fashioned machine that makes the donuts and there are only about 3 or 4 choices: plain, powdered, cinnamon, and glazed. I had glazed. It was really good. I highly recommend eating donuts for breakfast if you’re going to get them from Marvel’s.

Later we did some shopping and window shopping. All the vendors were set up under large white tents. We were able to find t-shirts and jewelry for good prices. We had lunch at The Chicken or the Egg (locals call it the Chegg). This was also the restaurant for an episode of tv show Man vs. Food. I didn’t have hot wings or anything. I had an amazing breakfast platter for about $8. Dinner was take-out from Barry’s Do Me A Flavor. Another delicious eatery on the island!

Sunday was CHOWDERFEST! I was so excited. Not sure if I was even a chowder fan or not, but what better place to find out? I think I had tasted chowder twice in my life before this day. Chowderfest consists of a “white” tent and a “red” tent. You pay an entry fee and are allowed to taste chowders all day and then vote on your favorite white and red flavors. There is live music and vendors also in the same area. We started at the white tent. After 2 booths, I was a fan of new england clam chowder. We actually tasted all of the flavors except Friday’s. We just weren’t particularly interested in their idea of chowder. Under the red tent, I was not really a fan. There were a couple that had good flavors but I don’t care for manhattan clam chowder. I tried them all though. Afterall, Chowderfest is only once a year and I wanted to be educated on what good chowders should be!

Before we left I cast my votes for Howard’s under the white tent and The Gazebo under the red tent. I later found out that Howard’s won! So I really know white chowder. The Gazebo did not place however, so I am not a red chowder expert. If you are anywhere in the NJ, NY, CT, or PA area, you must go to Chowderfest next October! It is a fun and filling experience.

This annual music festival in Newark, New Jersey is a favorite among the locals. Everyone comes out mainly to dance! The food vendors also do very well at these events. I bought an “uptown,” a shrimp kebab and a funnel cake!

I enjoyed the dancing and watching the skateboarding clinic by Kanek, a skateboarding shop in the city. The little kids with their helmets on trying to skate were adorable!

TravelingMad attended the 47th annual African American Heritage Day Parade in Newark, New Jersey. There were marching bands, floats, balloons, and street vendors. This important parade for Newark always draws a huge crowd. I had a blast and was glad to celebrate the festivities of my hometown!

Lake City, Florida is a small town. While visiting family there, we went to Old Times Buffet. {I still insist on calling it Old Timers; that’s what it was full of!} I really enjoyed myself though. The food was delicious!! We went during lunch time and ate until we couldn’t take anymore! Please eat here if you’re ever in town.

Iced tea from a plastic cup with a pig on it. Check!

Any restaurant that gives you plastic cups with pigs on them is going to give you a good, southern meal!

This trip was during August 2011. I was headed to Florida from New Jersey but had a connecting flight. I chose my connection location carefully. (Continue reading and you’ll see why.) I arrived at Newark EWR without incident and went through security. Of course my Jersey girl costume jewelry went off in the metal detectors and I received a friendly pat-down. After making a couple phone calls I boarded the plane. I chatted with a gentleman in my row. We talked about him living in Florida and me going to visit family there. He asked where I lived and we talked about Paris. He told me he hadn’t been there in almost 30 years. We had a few laughs at the expense of the cigarette smoking, skinny, wine drinking, French. A young lady then sat between us. We talked about her life. She shared that she will be a freshman this fall in college majoring in Art. She worked on a little drawing during the flight that was very good. The drawing was a girl character of some sort and she was putting wings on it.

Once in air all I could think about was my layover in Charlotte. Truth be told I thought about it when I knew I had to book my flight. I was excited to stop there to get some food. I love CLT airport. There are cute little shops that cater to your every need and whim. I remember about 3 years ago a coworker and I had a layover there on the way back to New Jersey. We decided to have a drink in Tequilaria. The name alone sounded exotic and wonderful! The drinks were pretty good too. We sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender until our delayed flight was finally ready for boarding.

During my most recent layover there, 1 month ago, I was looking for food. Burgers did not interest me and I settled on Chinese food. I looked for it on the giant directory. While walking towards the Chinese food, I noticed a long line. It wasn’t for the Chinese, it was right next to it. I looked up to see that it was North Carolina BBQ. With the line being so long I figured it had to be good. I glanced at the food behind the glass before getting in line. I saw a giant piece of meat that was being sliced. I had made up my mind after reading the menu. It was a tough choice between the ribs or the pulled pork but I opted for the pulled pork sandwhich with fried okra. I was so excited. I love Carolina BBQ!

The staff was very friendly. The food looked good but I hoped the meat wasn’t too dry. I asked them not to put bbq sauce on the sandwich (since I don’t eat it). The man at the end of the line reached in a food bin and put something on my plate. It was fried and in the shape of a wedge. I paid for my food and happily sat down.

The pulled pork was the best pulled pork sandwich I had ever had! It was soft and it seemed to have melted in my mouth. The fried wedge that I thought was a potato turned out to be a fried pickle! Even that was yummy too. I was a greedy person in heaven. I had bliss on my face as I held the sandwich with two hands and ate it.

I had told the man in my row about this experience and he said he may join me for a bite there before his next flight. We got off the plane and shared a delicious meal at Brookwood Farms. After finishing the meals, we exchanged names and wished each other good luck in travel and life.